WKU Basketball: What Should We Expect In Frisco?
Forrest Gump famously said “life is like a box a chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get,” and that’s probably the most accurate…
Forrest Gump famously said “life is like a box a chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get,” and that’s probably the most accurate way to describe WKU’s men’s basketball team this season.
Ever since the beginning of the season, we’ve been left in a state of confusion, and, in some instances, disbelief watching the 2018–2019 Hilltoppers play but still interwoven with stretches of pure bliss.
Let’s take a quick trip back to the early part of the year to remind ourselves of what has caused all of this doubt going into the Conference USA tournament in Frisco.
The Tops have had incredible wins against West Virginia on a neutral court in Myrtle Beach, an impressive road win at Arkansas and arguably the biggest win they’ve had at home in a looong time against a #15 ranked Wisconsin team. Just from those three wins alone, it should’ve put fans and analysts alike over the edge on the talent of this team going into conference play but those three wins weren’t without an equal or worse loss to go with them.
Despite having a chance at finishing the non-conference part of their schedule with a strong record, the Tops struggled immensely on the road with bad losses at Missouri State, Indiana State and, worst of all, a home loss against old Sun Belt foe Troy that left us all shaking our heads.
Conference play has been just as frustrating but they have proven to have more stretches of consistency.
They’ve had moments where they look poised and competitive and other times where they seem completely out of focus. Even with all of the ups and downs, the Tops have still beaten some of the best teams in the conference and were able to clinch a spot in the top pod, a first-round bye in the C-USA tournament as a #2 seed (somehow), and finished the season with an 11–7 conference record entering Frisco.
So what’s been the source of all this inconsistency? Is it even fixable at this point? Should I still speak with my cardiologist before Thursday?
I could probably write a novel worth of all the issues on this year’s team but I’m gonna focus on what has been what I think is their biggest issues entering postseason play.
All of us are aware of the youth of this team and that has been both the Achilles heel and the crowning jewel of this team at the same time. Young players are the lifeblood of this team, especially ten time C-USA freshman of the week, winner of a slew of C-USA end-of-season awards, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award finalist Charles Bassey who is averaging a double-double and has been breaking all kinds of records on his way to finishing what has been nothing short of a spectacular freshman season on the Hill. For a freshman, he’s been about as consistent as you could ask of him to be which is what the rest of the young guys have struggled with.
One of the main factors to WKU’s losses is the lack of bench players contributing to the game. While players like Tolu Smith, Jake Ohmer, Dalano Banton and the like have had some good moments where they contributed something throughout the year, there hasn’t been many instances outside of the game against cellar dwellers Charlotte where they all did something big collectively in one game.
Since senior guard Lamonte Bearden has entered the starting lineup after missing most of the early part of the season, the bench has struggled to produce more than 10 points in a game with only three games where they finished 10 or more total bench points (UTSA the first time, UTEP and Rice are the three games. Two of them went into at least one overtime and all three games were wins).
I firmly believe if the Tops can get some solid minutes and score from their bench in Frisco, they have a good shot at competing for and winning a conference title. When you have to play three games in three days, you need to give your starters some rest so they don’t fall flat from fatigue when you need them to produce the most so having at least one guy off the bench step up, preferably more than one, and play effectively is what I believe will make or break this team in the C-USA tournament.
One of the other biggest factors will be three-point shooting as well as three-point defense. The Tops have struggled at guarding the three all season long and have allowed several players to go off against them and have career days scoring. Playing in a football practice facility like the Dallas Cowboys facility that holds the tournaments can definitely have an effect on three-point shooting because of the openness of the arena can mess with players’ depth perception (don’t believe me? Click here and read about the dome effect from some coaches and players perspective).
Even with that considered, the Tops still don’t need to leave shooters open on the arc hoping they’ll miss and I’m really hoping that WKU doesn’t become a team that lives and dies by the three in Frisco either.
Three-point shooting hasn’t been the strongest asset for the Tops this season. They’ve shot 33% from deep on the season and the three-point shooting is lead by Jared Savage (who takes 6.6 three attempts per game) who has been very streaky. He could shoot lights out or go 1-of-11 from deep any given night but he has still shown up in several clutch situations to give the Tops a win (like the three triples he had in overtime against UTSA the first time and a late three to seal the win at home against Southern Miss to name a few).
To me, the Tops would be well off if they stick to their bread and butter and attack the basket and feed the big man. If Bassey can get rolling in the paint, that can naturally open up some outside shooting if the defense adjusts to try to contain him. Josh Anderson has also been one of the X factors on this team too. If he can keep attacking the basket and even draw some fouls that could help WKU win some close games down the stretch.
So with all this in mind, it draws me back to the title of this article: what should we expect from the guys in Frisco?
As much as I wish I knew which team will show up, I don’t. But one thing I do know is that the returning players from last year’s team are gonna have revenge on their mind entering the conference tournament.
The Tops were one layup away from winning their first men’s C-USA title and a trip to the Big Dance last year but sadly Bearden’s lay-in bounced around and fell off the rim giving Marshall a 67–66 win. It was absolutely heartbreaking, especially for senior Justin Johnson who never got a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament in his four years on the Hill.
I’m sure that Tavieon Hollingsworth, Josh Anderson, Jake Ohmer, Marek Nelson, and especially Lamonte Bearden remember how painful that loss was and they’ll do everything they can to ensure it doesn’t happen again if they have anything to do with it. That is if they lock in.
There have been times where this team has looked completely uninspired to play this season and that needs to end immediately if they want any chance of a run in Frisco. Playing without focus or heart during the conference tournament would definitely ensure a loss and a less-than-desirable end to the year that anyone would want. I’m hoping this team rallies around the idea of getting back what was lost last year and gives them something to play for.
But even though this season hasn’t gone exactly the way we all expected it was going to go, they still have a chance to end the year on a high note and that’s with a C-USA championship. All the things I’ve griped about in this article will disappear if they can take care of business in Frisco. This team has shown they can get up for the big games and I’m hoping they treat the C-USA tournament like they did Wisconsin because, at this point of the year, the season is on the line.
So my answer to this question raised in this article? I expect revenge. The games they play in might not be pretty by any means and will probably cause severe hypertension to all who watch but they’ve shown they’re capable of getting the job done. The postseason is a fresh start. It’s all about the 1–0 mentality at this point that they should treat every game. Just win the next one. Every game is a must win in March and I’m hoping they can punch their ticket back to the Promised Land come March 16th.